CVE-2015-1566 in DotNetNuke
Summary
by MITRE
Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability in DotNetNuke (DNN) before 7.4.0 allows remote attackers to inject arbitrary web script or HTML via unspecified vectors.
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Analysis
by VulDB Data Team • 04/16/2022
The vulnerability identified as CVE-2015-1566 represents a critical cross-site scripting flaw in DotNetNuke content management systems prior to version 7.4.0. This vulnerability falls under the CWE-79 category of Cross-Site Scripting and specifically affects the web application's input validation mechanisms, creating a significant security risk for organizations utilizing affected DNN versions. The vulnerability's classification as a remote code execution vector means that malicious actors can exploit this weakness without requiring local system access, making it particularly dangerous in web-facing environments where user interactions are common.
The technical implementation of this XSS vulnerability stems from insufficient sanitization of user-supplied input within the DotNetNuke framework. Attackers can leverage this flaw by crafting malicious scripts or HTML content that gets executed in the context of other users' browsers when they view affected pages. The unspecified vectors indicate that multiple entry points within the application may be susceptible to this injection attack, including but not limited to form fields, URL parameters, or dynamic content generation mechanisms. This broad attack surface increases the probability of successful exploitation and makes comprehensive patching more challenging for administrators.
The operational impact of CVE-2015-1566 extends beyond simple script injection, as it can enable attackers to perform session hijacking, steal sensitive user information, deface websites, redirect users to malicious sites, or even execute more sophisticated attacks such as credential theft through browser-based attacks. The vulnerability's presence in DNN versions before 7.4.0 means that organizations running these older releases face significant risk, particularly those with high-profile websites or applications handling sensitive user data. The attack surface is particularly concerning given that DNN is widely used across various industries including healthcare, finance, and government sectors where data protection is paramount.
Organizations affected by this vulnerability should immediately implement mitigations including patching to DNN version 7.4.0 or later, which contains the necessary security fixes. Additional protective measures should include implementing robust input validation, output encoding, and Content Security Policy headers to reduce the impact of potential exploitation. The vulnerability aligns with ATT&CK technique T1059.001 for Command and Scripting Interpreter, as successful exploitation would allow attackers to execute malicious scripts within user browsers. Security teams should also conduct thorough vulnerability assessments to identify any custom modules or third-party extensions that might be vulnerable to similar XSS patterns and ensure comprehensive monitoring of web application logs for potential exploitation attempts.